A Golfing “Bash” Awaits at These Courses Near the State Line

The Myrtle Beach golf scene is made up of numerous communities that span a 60-mile stretch of Carolinas coastline, and Calabash, located just across the state line in North Carolina, is among the area’s most underrated enclaves.

If you are looking for a combination of serenity and quality golf, just minutes removed from the good times of North Myrtle Beach, you owe it to yourself to give Calabash a look.

Sea Trail Resort, home to 54 holes of golf, is the area’s premier stay-and-play facility. Featuring courses designed by Willard Byrd, Rees Jones and Dan Maples, Sea Trail offers three distinct layouts and multiple onsite restaurants, enhancing its appeal. The resort has also begun an extensive series of renovations that will further magnify its appeal in the coming months.

The challenge at the Jones Course is straight forward with generous fairways framed by mounding and lakes. Playing along Calabash Creek, the Maples Course showcases the natural beauty players flock to the coast to enjoy, while the Byrd Course demands precision iron play on a layout featuring well-guarded greens.

Meadowlands Golf Club is a course on the rise, as gradual enhancements over the years have started to add up to big changes. Combine those changes with the layout’s playability and outstanding conditions, and it’s not hard to figure out Meadowlands’ rising profile.

Crow Creek, one of the few area courses that offer bentgrass greens, has long been a hidden gem. If this Rick Robbins beauty shows up on your next golf trip itinerary, a good time certainly awaits.

The Pearl, home to the East, West and North nines, features six holes that play along the Calabash River, including the 604-yard seventh on the West Course. The par 5 is the third longest hole along the Myrtle Beach golf scene and it’s as scenic as it is challenging.

Just a 9 iron away from The Pearl is Thistle, another 27-hole facility that has long drawn rave reviews from locals and visitors alike. The Scottish-inspired Tim Cate design features sweeping fairways, pot bunkers, and a spectacular clubhouse that is the perfect place to relive your round.

Rounding out Calabash’s trio of 27-hole properties is Sandpiper Bay Golf Club. This former Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course of the Year offers up a playable layout, no matter the combination of nines you play.

Last, but certainly not least, Oyster Bay was the course that started it all in 1983. Featuring numerous holes that play along the Calabash River, Golf Digest ranked Oyster Bay among the nation’s best new public courses upon its opening, shining a national spotlight on the area and paving the way for more courses to open.

Calabash flies under the radar, but its golf offerings always leave players with a smile on their face.